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Credits
CARTOGRAPHY: Scott Reeves
AUTHOR: Chad Brouillard
PLAYTESTERS: Jeff Banas, Corrie Bergren, Dan Carini,
EDITOR & DEVELOPER: Michelle A. Brown Nephew
Brian Dewhirst, Mike DiRosario, Emily Dolan, Seth
ART DIRECTION & GRAPHIC DESIGN: Scott Reeves
Dziengeleski, Aaron Fox, David Gibeau, Laurie Gibeau,
PUBLISHER, PROOFREADER & LAYOUT MONKEY:
Suzanne Gorneau, Nathan Houde, Scott Houde, David
John Nephew
Langlais, Mark Luchini (aka ‘Haywire’), Ryan Miller,
COVER DESIGN: Scott Reeves and John Tynes
Steven Muscovitz, Richard Otero, Charles Venedam,
COVER ILLUSTRATOR: Brian Figur
Nicole Vayo, Nicci Vega
INTERIOR ILLUSTRATORS: Chad Sergesketter,
PUBLISHER’S SPECIAL THANKS: Jerry Corrick, Will
Brendon Fraim, Brian Fraim
Hindmarch, Alex Knapik, and the Source
About the Author
Dedication
Chad Brouillard writes from the exotic locale of
Jamaica, New York, where he pursues a career in law.
Previous projects include Maiden Voyage, another
adventure in Atlas Games’ Penumbra line.
To Mike D., whose wit and enthusiasm always kept us
game masters on our toes, and whose strength and determination now inspires us all to hope.
This book is published under the Open Game License. All Open Game Content is identified by the special layout described on page 4.
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Penumbra is the trademark of Trident, Inc., d/b/a Atlas Games, for its line of fantasy roleplaying game supplements. Atlas Games and “Charting New
Realms of Imagination” are trademarks of John Nephew, used under license. The Atlas Games logo is a trademark of John Nephew and Trident, Inc., d/b/a
Atlas Games.
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The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and
is Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc ("Wizards"). All Rights
Reserved.
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15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2001, Wizards of the Coast,
Inc.
D20 System Rules & Content Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast,
Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, based
on original material by Dave Arneson and E. Gary Gygax.
Lean and Hungry Copyright 2002, Trident Inc. d/b/a Atlas
Games; author Chad Brouillard.
Saint Paul, Minnesota
[email protected] • www.atlas-games.com
Digital Editon Version 2.0
April 2009
INTRODUCTION
Introduction
continue her plan to achieve absolute divinity and
immortality.
Long Ago …
In times long past, the Kadaichi range of foothills was
serene and peaceful, remaining far removed from the
daimyo lords and imperial politics. As ages passed, the
winds brought merchants over these secluded hillsides,
and later a handful of settlers to farm upon the fertile
landscape.
In order to create servitors, she trapped villagers in a
prison cell and starved them until they devoured each
other, creating jikininki — walking dead cursed to feed
on corpses. Using the jikininki, the Alchemist captured
more subjects to experiment upon in her search for
immortality. Her work resulted in the discovery of the
Essence of Divine Winds, a liquid distillation of divine ki
energies. By immersing herself within its waters for a
millennium, the Alchemist could achieve perfect
immortality, and be transformed into a living god! Sealing her inner sanctum, and so losing control
over the jikininki, she has
slept undisturbed over
the centuries in the
crystal bath that
refines these energies.
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A dark time came when a daimyo’s entourage arrived to
survey the hills and valleys. After inspecting the land,
the daimyo ordered the construction of a
pyramid, which he claimed was
to serve the court’s astrologists as an observatory of
the stars. What none in
the villages knew was
that the daimyo’s
wife, an ambitious
and
ruthless
woman,
had
seduced her new
husband
and
diverted
court
funds to oversee
the construction
of a sanctum specially designed to
enhance the practice of her alchemical arts.
Construction of
the
corrupt
woman’s pyramid
took almost a hundred years. When
it was complete,
the
withered
crone,
having
buried her husband long since,
took up residence
within its darkened corridors.
The now-powerful
Alchemist used
potions to restore
her youth and
prolong her life so
that she could
3
The people of the
Kadaichi range
shunned the place
and whispered of
the missing villagers and of the
tortured screams
that
sometimes
echoed in the hills.
All forgot the
name
of
the
daimyo and his
ancient
widow,
and a new legend
arose of long-fingered
‘demons’
that walked the
foothills by moonlight. Eventually, a
brave band of
demon hunters —
monks and priests
of light — sought
out the pyramid
and discovered the
nest of living dead.
While the group
could not breach
the seals to the
hidden inner sanctum, they suspect-
Lean and Hungry
ed the warded chamber led to yomi — the spirit worlds.
To ensure that no other demons could come though, the
band placed their own wards, guardians, and traps within the pyramid.
As the characters enter the scene, the weakened Han
have taken up residence in the old hunting lodge, called
Nagaya, and the undead jikininki have just awakened,
roused by the unburied on the earth above them.
Also, the demon hunters succeeded in releasing many of
the jikininki from their tortured state, but accidentally
scattered the rest so that they spread across the foothills.
Believing the job done, they sealed the pyramid and left
for parts unknown, stopping only to establish the Shrine
of the Vigilant Light nearby in thanks for their god’s
favor in cleansing the hillside.
Adventure Overview
Lean and Hungry is a Japanese-analogue fantasy scenario for a mid-level party of about 4th to 6th level. The
adventure will likely take up two sessions, and a good
breaking point is at the end of Chapter Two.
The diaspora jikininki, following their depraved instincts,
returned to the hold of their mistress to find themselves
locked out. The cursed packs dug a network of tunnels
underneath the pyramid so they could lie close to their
vile mistress. For centuries the jikininki entombed themselves there, remaining dormant until their unnatural
hunger would rouse them once again.
Clerics, monks, and paladins — characters symbolizing
authority or faith — have an easier reception and should
be included in the party if possible. The module assumes
the party to be more or less heroic, but can be converted for play with more mercenary parties by adjusting the
character lures given below. For example, the characters
could be sent at the behest of a ninja clan to stake a claim
in the area.
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One Month Ago …
Also, having at least one PC capable of tracking and at
home in the wilderness will be of considerable help to
the party.
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As the centuries passed, the pyramid became overgrown
like a kofun — an ancient mound tomb — shrouded with
vegetation that transformed it into just another hill within the Kadaichi range. For years, the peaceful villages
lived in harmony with the flow of seasons. But then sorrow again came in the form of a barbarian obok called
the Han — a tribal clan from the mainland.
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Alternate Settings
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While this scenario is intended for an Eastern setting, the
events can be refitted for a Western game, or an interesting mix of the two. A Western-style game involves mainly ‘converting’ the names and places to fit a more traditional fantasy campaign. Many of the character types
and settings have Western equivalents; for instance, the
Chinese barbarians become Viking raiders, the samurai
Nagaya becomes the hunting lodge of Sir Roderic, the
jikininki become burrowing ghouls, etc. Much like a
‘Spaghetti Western,’ this module can then work with a
band of wandering samurai, monks, or some combination of both, travelling in a Western land.
The Han obok, lead by the cunning bandit Zhang, came
to the island chain to seek out a lost arcane pyramid or
tomb. While searching the area on behalf of their relicseeker employers, the Han took the opportunity to sack
and plunder the surrounding villages. What the barbarian raiders did not foresee in this remote locale was formidable resistance in the form of a hunting lodge housing several samurai. The samurai proudly met the Han
in battle on the plain called the Killing Fields, falling
before the superior numbers of the barbarians.
Open Game Content
Other text in this book is not Open Game Content, and
may not be reproduced without the publisher’s express
permission.
This book is published under the Open Game License.
We hereby identify as Open Game Content any text that
is printed on a parchment-style background like this.
If you’re not a publisher, don’t worry about this; you may
still find it handy to note that OGC-formatted text tends
to contain rules details. If you are curious about Open
Gaming, which allows publishers to reproduce and modify each others’ Open Game Content, we encourage you
to visit www.opengamingfoundation.org on the web.
Ω
In addition, text in the main body of this book
that is Open Game Content is identified by
formatting in this paragraph style, with the dragon
icon and indentations on right and left.
4
Lean and Hungry
GMs might also want to consider the possibility of introducing a Western fantasy group into an Eastern setting
for the module. For example, if the party has survived
the attack described in the Maiden Voyage adventure
module, also published by Atlas Games, or otherwise
finds themselves on a ship, sea storms (or the vengeance
of Krakas) may strike, marooning the hapless PCs on this
exotic Eastern island. The strangeness of being confronted by a different culture adds an interesting element to
game play.
• The characters serve a local daimyo lord or owe her
a substantial favor. Her scouts have reported a barbarian longship skirting the coast north of her hold.
She is somewhat unconcerned as the area in question
is quite remote and inconsequential to the prosperity
of her demesne, but wants someone to scout out the
area in order to make sure these raiders aren’t establishing a staging point for further attacks.
• A shipwreck has marooned the unsuspecting heroes
on an Eastern island chain. The natives, speaking a
strange dialect, cannot be understood without magical aids. The PCs soon learn of the plight of the innocent villagers and take it upon themselves to mete out
justice. Foreign characters may also find they have
some explaining to do once the local lord’s samurai
arrive to deal with the barbarian raiders …
One suggestion for this type of starting point
Ω
is that the GM should make sure that a scroll
or magic item with the tongues spell is somehow
made available to one or more PCs.
A final note; the local villagers have wild legends about
demons and dragons in the foothills. This is a manifestation of their own intuitive sense that something wicked
has always lain dormant there. GMs should allow the
PCs’ paranoid imaginations to run wild and confused at
first by the conflicting accounts.
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• The PCs are a wandering band of demon hunters
hoping to send errant demonic minions packing back
to yomi. Divine visions and arcane prophecy lead the
motley group to the remote village; there, omens
suggest that an ancient evil must be put down once
again. For a variant on this theme, the PCs could be
reincarnations of the original band of demon
hunters, come again to put things right for good.
Story Focus
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Lean and Hungry stresses a deep-immersion roleplaying
focus. While the PCs explore the kofun pyramid, the villagers, the barbarian raiders, a group of relic seekers,
and eventually the local daimyo’s swordsmen are affected by what the players do within the forgotten sanctum.
The kofun should be looked at as a character in its own
right, as it has a layered history. GMs should accentuate
the difference between the Alchemist’s mark on the place
as opposed to the departed demon hunters’, for example.
Also try to consider the varying roles of the kofun as you
describe it: the structure was built as a sanctum at the
bequest of the Alchemist, but thanks to the departed
demon hunters now serves to imprison her; to the relic
seekers and barbarian raiders, the kofun is a vault to
exploit; to the villagers, it is a demon’s den that threatens
their survival. Keep this in mind as the factions react to
its discovery. Descriptions and stats for NPCs can be
found in Appendix II; monster stats are located in the
text of the adventure itself.
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Plot Synopsis
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Whatever the ploy, the characters arrive in the remote
range of foothills to find several recently destroyed villas.
Fearing the worst, the PCs are somewhat relieved to find
one village, Mura, remains and serves as the last stand
for refugees. The overcrowded village initially meets the
PCs’ arrival with panic, then later with wonderment and
hope as the village’s leader, Madoka, declares them
heroes and champions.
Determined to rescue the enslaved children of the ravaged buraku and incensed by the desperate hunger of
the refugees, the characters set out to find the trail of the
barbarian raiders responsible for the devastation. The
NPCs learn of the presence of the raiders at a nearby
hunting lodge, which they took after leaving the corpseladen field where the barbarians and samurai did battle.
Soon after, the players discover the carnage at the
Killing Fields has awakened corpse-eating ‘demons’ that
use shallow tunnels to travel underground and attack the
unwary. The finery that the demons wear hearkens to
ancient days, and the villagers come to the conclusion
that these monsters must come from deep tombs built in
the days of the old empire.
Luring in the Characters
Several options for getting the characters involved
include:
• The characters are simply passing through the
remote Kadaichi range in order to travel to another
destination. They are expecting wild animal attacks
and stiff necks to be the worst of their problems. But
then they catch sight of the first sacked village …
Thanks to a spy within the village, the barbarians are
tipped off about the jikininki and by implication the
ancient kofun. They send word to their employers —
greedy relic seekers eager to steal any magic items with-
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Lean and Hungry
in. Once the relic seekers arrive, they induce the barbarians to offer a truce to the village, giving back some food
and a few children as a token. Laying out the terms, the
relic seekers offer to mediate the return of the children
and food in exchange for the chance to capture the relics
hidden within the kofun. A small cadre of NPC
observers joins the PCs in exploring the structure.
themselves in a race against time to reach the hidden
inner sanctum and rid themselves of the deadly curse.
The final layer of the kofun holds its own challenges.
Within her sanctum the ancient Alchemist lies sleeping
at the bottom of a magical crystal bath. Disturbing the
chamber causes her to waken, forcing the PCs to face the
fury of an near-immortal desperate to refuel the energies
of her disturbed alchemical process. Even if they should
defeat her or flee the Alchemist’s wrath, the characters
must circumvent the four kofun guardians bent on sealing all within.
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Making slow progress to the center of the jikininki tunnel system, the PCs finally discover an entrance to the
kofun. Within, PCs and NPCs alike are afflicted with a
curse driving them to ravenous hunger. Faced with the
kofun’s wards, traps, and the hunger curse, the PCs find
6